Moral principles and ethics in human life.

Moral principles(the main fundamental ideas about proper human behavior on which moral standards are based)

The basic principles include:

1. Humanism (a worldview centered on the idea of ​​man as the highest value;)

2. Altruism (a moral principle that prescribes selfless actions aimed at the benefit and satisfaction of the interests of another person (people). As a rule, it is used to denote the ability to sacrifice one’s own benefit for the sake of the common good.)

3. Tolerance (meaning tolerance of someone else's way of life, behavior, customs, feelings, opinions, ideas, beliefs[)

4. Justice

5. Collectivism

6. Individualism

End of work -

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"No man is like an island"
(John Donne)

Society consists of many individuals who are similar in many ways, but also extremely different in their aspirations and worldviews, experiences and perceptions of reality. Morality is what unites us, these are those special rules adopted in the human community and defining a certain general view of categories such as good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad.

Morality is defined as norms of behavior in society that have been formed over many centuries and serve for the correct development of a person in it. The term itself comes from Latin word mores, which means the rules accepted in society.

Moral Traits

Morality, which is largely decisive for the regulation of life in society, has several main features. Thus, its fundamental requirements for all members of society are the same, regardless of position. They operate even in situations that are outside the area of ​​responsibility of legal principles and extend to such areas of life as creativity, science, and production.

Norms of public morality, in other words, traditions, are significant in communication between specific individuals and groups of people, allowing them to “speak the same language.” Legal principles are imposed on society, and their failure to comply carries with them consequences of varying severity. Traditions and moral norms are voluntary; every member of society agrees to them without coercion.

Types of moral standards

For centuries it has been accepted various types. Thus, in primitive society, such a principle as taboo was indisputable. People who were proclaimed as transmitting the will of the gods were strictly regulated as prohibited actions that could threaten the entire society. Violation of them was inevitably followed by the most severe punishment: death or exile, which in most cases was the same thing. The taboo is still preserved in many. Here, as a moral norm, examples are the following: you cannot be on the territory of the temple if the person does not belong to the clergy caste; You cannot have children from your relatives.

Custom

A moral norm is not only generally accepted, as a result of its derivation by some elite, it can also be a custom. It represents a repetitive pattern of actions that is especially important in order to maintain a certain position in society. In Muslim countries, for example, traditions are more revered than other moral norms. Customs based on religious beliefs, V Central Asia can cost lives. For us, who are more accustomed to European culture, legislation is an analogue. It has the same impact on us as traditional moral standards have on Muslims. Examples in this case: a ban on drinking alcohol, closed clothing for women. For our Slavic-European society, the customs are: to bake pancakes for Maslenitsa, to celebrate New Year with a Christmas tree.

Among moral norms, tradition is also distinguished - a procedure and pattern of behavior that is preserved for a long time, passed on from generation to generation. A kind of traditional moral standards, examples. In this case, these include: celebrating the New Year with a Christmas tree and gifts, maybe certain place, or go to the bathhouse on New Year's Eve.

Moral rules

There are also moral rules - those norms of society that a person consciously determines for himself and adheres to this choice, deciding what is acceptable for him. For such a moral norm, examples in this case: give up your seat to pregnant and elderly people, shake hands with a woman when exiting a vehicle, open the door for a woman.

Functions of morality

One of the functions is evaluation. Morality considers events and actions that take place in society from the point of view of their usefulness or danger to further development, and then gives his verdict. Various kinds of reality are assessed in terms of good and evil, creating an environment in which each of its manifestations can be assessed both positively and negatively. With the help of this function, a person can understand his place in the world and form his position.

The regulatory function is no less important. Morality actively influences people's consciousness, often acting better than legal restrictions. From childhood, with the help of education, each member of society develops certain views on what can be done and what cannot be done, and this helps him adjust his behavior in such a way that it is useful for himself and for development in general. Moral norms regulate both the internal views of a person, and therefore his behavior, and the interaction between groups of people, allowing them to maintain the established way of life, stability and culture.

The educational function of morality is expressed in the fact that under its influence a person begins to focus not only on his own needs, but also on the needs of the people around him and society as a whole. The individual develops an awareness of the value of the needs of other participants in society, which, in turn, leads to mutual respect. A person enjoys his freedom as long as it does not violate the freedom of other people. similar in different individuals, help them better understand each other and act harmoniously together, positively influencing the development of each of them.

Morality as a result of evolution

The basic moral principles of any time in the existence of society include the need to do good deeds and not cause harm to people, regardless of what position they occupy, what nationality they belong to, or followers of what religion they are.

The principles of norms and morality become necessary as soon as individuals interact. It was the emergence of society that created them. Biologists who focus on the study of evolution say that in nature there is also a principle of mutual utility, which in human society is realized through morality. All animals that live in society are forced to moderate their egoistic needs in order to be more adapted to later life.

Many scientists view morality as a result social evolution human society, being the same natural manifestation. They say that many of the principles of norms and morality, which are fundamental, were formed through natural selection, when only those individuals survived who could interact correctly with others. So, as an example they give parental love, which expresses the need to protect the offspring from all external dangers in order to ensure the survival of the species, and the ban on incest, which protects the population from degeneration through the mixing of too similar genes, which leads to the appearance of weak children.

Humanism as a basic principle of morality

Humanism is fundamental principle norms of public morality. It refers to the belief that every person has the right to happiness and countless opportunities to realize this right, and that at the core of every society should be the idea that everyone in it has value and is worthy of protection and freedom .

The main one can be expressed in the well-known rule: “treat others the way you want to be treated.” Another person in this principle is seen as deserving the same benefits as any particular person.

Humanism assumes that society must guarantee basic human rights, such as the inviolability of home and correspondence, freedom of religion and choice of place of residence, and the prohibition of forced labor. Society must make efforts to support people who, for one reason or another, are limited in their abilities. The ability to accept such people distinguishes human society, which does not live according to the laws of nature with natural selection, dooming those who are not strong enough to die. Humanism also creates opportunities for human happiness, the pinnacle of which is the realization of one’s knowledge and skills.

Humanism as a source of universal moral norms

Humanism in our time draws society's attention to such universal problems as the spread nuclear weapons, environmental threats, the need to develop and reduce production levels. He says that the containment of needs and the involvement of everyone in solving problems that face the entire society can only happen through an increase in the level of consciousness and the development of spirituality. It forms universal norms morality.

Mercy as a basic principle of morality

Mercy is understood as a person’s readiness to help people in need, to sympathize with them, perceiving their suffering as his own and wanting to alleviate their suffering. Many religions pay close attention to this moral principle, especially Buddhism and Christianity. In order for a person to be merciful, it is necessary that he does not divide people into “us” and “strangers”, so that he sees “his own” in everyone.

Currently, great emphasis is placed on the fact that a person should actively help those who need mercy, and it is important that he not only provides practical assistance, but is also ready to support morally.

Equality as a basic principle of morality

From a moral point of view, equality calls for a person's actions to be assessed regardless of his social status and wealth, and from a general point of view, that an approach to human actions was universal. This kind of state of affairs can only exist in a well-developed society that has reached a certain level in economic and cultural development.

Altruism as a basic principle of morality

This moral principle can be expressed in the phrase “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Altruism assumes that a person is able to do something good for another person for free, that this will not be a favor that must be returned, but a selfless impulse. This moral principle is very important in modern society, when life in big cities alienates people from each other, it creates the feeling that caring for one’s neighbor without intentionality is impossible.

Morality and law

Law and morality are in close contact, since together they form the rules in society, but they have a number of significant differences. Correlation and morality allows us to identify their differences.

The rules of law are documented and developed by the state as mandatory rules, non-compliance with which inevitably entails liability. The categories of legal and illegal are used as an assessment, and this assessment is objective, built on regulatory documents, such as the constitution and various codes.

Moral norms and principles are more flexible and different people may be perceived differently and may also depend on the situation. They exist in society in the form of rules that are passed on from one person to another and are not documented anywhere. Moral norms are quite subjective, assessment is expressed through the concepts of “right” and “wrong”; their failure to comply in some cases cannot lead to more serious consequences than public censure or simply disapproval. For a person, violating moral principles can lead to pangs of conscience.

The relationship between the norms of law and morality can be seen in many cases. So, moral principles“thou shalt not kill”, “thou shalt not steal” correspond to the laws prescribed in the Criminal Code, which state that an attempt on human life and his property leads to criminal liability and imprisonment. A conflict of principles is also possible when a legal violation - for example, euthanasia, which is prohibited in our country, which is considered as murder of a person - can be justified by moral convictions - the person himself does not want to live, there is no hope for recovery, the disease causes him unbearable pain.

Thus, the difference between legal and moral norms is expressed only in legislation.

Conclusion

Moral norms were born in society in the process of evolution; their appearance is not accidental. They were needed before to support society and protect it from internal conflicts, and they still perform this and other functions, developing and progressing along with society. Moral standards have been and will remain an integral element of a civilized society.

This section will examine, so to speak, the “working tools” of the science of ethics. Since many aspects of ethical concepts have already been considered, it is now necessary to present them in the form of a system and give the missing characteristics of those concepts that have not yet received sufficiently clear definitions.

Above we talked about the priority of moral activity. Now our task is to understand what the active side of morality is, what are its “functional responsibilities” or, simply put, functions of morality.

1. Regulatory function. The function of moral regulation of relationships between people is the main and determining one. It covers the sphere of relations that is not regulated by law. and in this sense it complements law. However, such a definition will be incomplete and inaccurate if we do not take into account the fact that all legal norms also affirm justice, also serve the good or benefit of society and citizens, and therefore are of an unconditionally moral nature.

The regulatory function is a continuous process of bringing the real behavior of individuals, service teams and government and public institutions in accordance with the moral standards in force in society. For these purposes, the following are used “tools” for regulating moral relations, such as moral and ethical principles, public opinion, moral authority, traditions, customs, commandments, habits. At the directly practical level, regulation is carried out through norms (simple moral norms): norms-guidelines, norms-requirements, norms-prohibitions, norms-frameworks, restrictions, as well as norms-models (etiquette norms). The regulatory function is basic in the system of functions: all other functions - each in its own way - “serve” it to one degree or another.

2. Evaluative (axiological) function . As mentioned above, any act of morality (behavioral or spiritual) is determined by one or another value system. Subject to be assessed at an angle<морально - аморально» или «иравственно - безнравственно» являются поступки, отношения, намерения, мотивы, моральные возэрения, личностные качества и т.д.

Z. Orienting function. Simple moral standards are “simple” only in theory. In concrete reality, in practice, before making a moral judgment and implementing one or another norm in an act or behavior, we sometimes have to weigh quite a significant number of circumstances, each of which can prompt us to apply different (sometimes even mutually exclusive) norms. Only a good command of the science of ethics, a high level of moral culture, which are a mechanism that can give us an accurate guideline, can choose from a multitude of norms the only correct, fair one. They are the ones who can help us develop a system of moral priorities, which is a “compass” that allows us to identify the most moral line of behavior.

4. Motivational function . This function allows you to evaluate actions, goals and means from the point of view of the motivating intention. Motives or motivations can be moral and immoral, moral and immoral, noble and base, selfish and selfless, etc.

5. Cognitive (information) function - aimed at acquiring ethical knowledge: principles, norms, codes, etc., which are a source of information about public moral values ​​and systems of such values, starting points moral choice in ordinary and extreme situations, in ordinary and conflict situations, which together help formulate a model of moral behavior.

b. Educational function. Any education system is, first of all, a system of moral education (a number of scientists believe that education is only moral education, everything else is just communication). Moral education brings moral norms, habits, customs, rights, generally accepted patterns of behavior into a certain conceptually organized system, translates moral knowledge into moral beliefs of the individual, develops the ability to creatively interpret moral knowledge and beliefs in relation to specific situations.

7. Communicative function. On ships, airplanes and other fast-moving objects, a special device is installed, which, upon receiving the corresponding request, responds with a signal conventionally called “I am mine.” Every system of moral values ​​(including professional ones) possesses exactly the same ability, and only on the basis of this “signal” is it possible for official and any other interaction, acquisition<чувства локтя», поддержка и взаимовыручка. Конечно, в процессе служебной деятельности осознание сигнала «я свой» и действенная коммуникация на его основе осуществляется не только моральным его компонентом, но тем не менее он играет в этом процессе одну из главных ролей.

8. Ideological function. The purpose of this function is to justify the morality of the political and economic goals and interests of a particular class, social stratum, group, social movement, etc. In this sense, it is called upon to morally consolidate a socially heterogeneous society. The morality of the ruling class or social group, as well as their goals and interests, are always represented by ideological means as the goals, interests and morals of the whole society. And as long as this morality meets the general interests to a certain extent, society perceives this circumstance positively. Otherwise, society consolidates around opposing moral, political and ideological values, where revolutionary morality begins to play a fundamental role, declaring the main moral goal to be the struggle to overthrow the existing political regime.

9. World-related function. In this regard, morality is considered as the moral foundations of an individual, the system of moral principles developed by him, mediating all his political, religious, aesthetic, philosophical and other ideas. The worldview function is very close to the axiological function with the only difference that in this case it covers the basic, so to speak, initial concepts and ideas of a person about the reality around him.

The most important moral values for a law enforcement officer are: love for the Motherland, loyalty to the oath and chosen profession, official duty, moral integrity (unity of word and deed, beliefs and actions), respect for honor and official dignity, justice, legality, integrity and mutual assistance.

If we turn to moral consciousness, then the dominant role here is played by moral principles. Expressing the requirements of morality in the most general form, they constitute the essence of moral relations and are a strategy for moral behavior. They are distinguished by comparative stability and are specified in moral norms. Their stability and viability are determined by the specific conditions of a certain social and professional environment of a particular historical era. Moral principles are recognized by moral consciousness as unconditional requirements, adherence to which is strictly obligatory in all life situations. This is their significant difference from moral norms, deviation from which in certain life situations is not only acceptable, but sometimes necessary. As part of the requirements for service in law enforcement agencies, the basic principles of morality are: humanism, collectivism, justice, patriotism, conscientious attitude to work, critical self-esteem. Some of them should be considered in more detail.

Principle collectivism . This is one of the most important principles of not only professional, but also universal morality (the opposite principle is individualism). It contains the most important essence of the relationship between the individual and society. As a rule, all social And the professional interests of individuals are mediated by personal interest, with which they are closely intertwined, and it is usually almost impossible to break this connection. Noting this circumstance, the Scottish economist and philosopher of the 12th century. A. Smith developed the theory of “reasonable egoism,” where he tried to find a reasonable balance between the public and personal interests of individuals. However, both science and practice have clearly shown that it is impossible to find such a balance once and for all for all situations, and therefore two mutually exclusive, but rather abstract principles were established in ethics: collectivism and individualism, where it was only about the priority of one or another principle.

In relation to the socio-political realities of our time, the principle of collectivism as a leading principle is inherent in a socialist society, and the principle of individualism is inherent in a bourgeois society. As for the law enforcement official environment, here the principle of collectivism is clearly strictly necessary for the successful organization of official activities, the only possible one for effectively confronting the criminal world. And although the interests of the members of a service team are always heterogeneous, the effectiveness of the team’s work directly depends on the purposefulness and unity of its actions, and, therefore, first of all, on the extent to which the interests of the team are perceived by its members as a priority compared to the personal interests of the people who form it. An English proverb says: "If you can't do what you like, let you like what you do." In a very real sense, this also applies to the combination of personal and official interests: if you cannot reconcile personal interests with official ones, let the official interests become your personal interests. Otherwise, you should leave law enforcement and law enforcement.

The principle of collectivism includes several particular principles.

1. Unity of purpose and will. A common goal unites people, organizes and directs their will. The goals of the service team’s activities are determined both by the tasks that management sets for the team and by the awareness of the necessity of the requirements of everyday service. And if the first factor is mainly external, strictly imperative in nature, then the second factor is to a large extent determined by the moral and psychological climate of the team and the moral education of its members. 2. Cooperation and mutual assistance. This is one of the most important conditions for the principle of collectivism. In law enforcement teams, this side of collectivism manifests itself especially effectively. “Perish yourself, but save your comrade” is not a simple slogan, but a fundamental principle of official interaction in the authorities, which has received repeated confirmation in practice. However, this is combined with integrity and has nothing to do with mutual responsibility, protection of unscrupulous workers, quitters, and truants. Otherwise, there are grounds to talk about the moral deformation of the collective, about its “disease” and the need for its urgent “treatment.”

3. Democracy. Even in such strictly normatively organized structures as law enforcement agencies, there are many aspects of service that are determined by collective decision. And the more united and morally conscious a person is team, Moreover, there are prerequisites for management to delegate power when making decisions to the members of the service team themselves, for the transition from command-administrative relations to relations of business cooperation, based on common interest and shared responsibility for the successful solution of official tasks.

4. Discipline. In a morally mature team, discipline is not a heavy burden, but a conscious necessity. Conscious execution of disciplinary requirements ensures the required effectiveness of official activities, and it is in such a team that any violation of discipline is perceived by its members as a hindrance, as an obstacle to the realization of common official goals and interests, and it is in such a team that the influence of its members on the “education” of the violator is more effective the most severe disciplinary sanctions from management.

The principle of humanism. This moral principle in everyday understanding means humanity, love for people, protection of human dignity, people's right to happiness and a full opportunity for self-development. Humanism is a requirement of the modern era, its leading principle, in particular, permeating all branches of law and defining all moral norms. In relation to law enforcement, humanism underlies the entire system of moral and legal relations between employees of law enforcement agencies and citizens.

The humanism of the content of law enforcement lies in its very essence, which is defined as ensuring social stability, protecting public order in the country, property, rights, freedoms and legal interests of citizens, enterprises, organizations and institutions from criminal attacks and other antisocial actions. Requirements of the principle of humanism are not only the essence of professional morality, but also official duty, which obliges law enforcement officers to quickly and timely respond to all unworthy acts and, especially, offenses. Failure to comply with these requirements is condemned both by law and And public opinion. Thus, the humanism of the activities of law enforcement agencies is manifested in the fact that it is aimed at fighting evil and protecting the interests of the entire society and each individual individually from violations of legal and moral norms and thereby providing conditions for happiness And comprehensive development of man as the highest social value.

The humanism of the essence and goals of law enforcement agencies also determines such an aspect of the law enforcement service as the prevention of offenses and crimes. Using various means of warning and persuasion, law enforcement officers reveal to the population the humanistic, socially necessary content of the norms of our morality and law, the inadmissibility of the immoral, antisocial, and especially criminal behavior that causes enormous and irreparable damage to society, people and the offender himself, contribute to the awareness of each person of moral and legal responsibility for the immoral and illegal acts he has committed. If persuasion measures are insufficient, the state resorts to coercion. However, humanism is also evident here: on the one hand, the absolute majority of citizens are socially protected, and on the other hand, this stops those citizens who take the path of criminal acts and are not able to get off this path on their own.

Unity of the principles of justice and legality. The most important principle of professional morality for law enforcement officers is principle justice. Justice is not only a moral principle. It covers almost all spheres of human activity and human relations, and above all law and politics. As a method of moral regulation, the principle of justice obliges us to take into account all aspects of the activities of individuals, i.e. their social status, merits, age and physical capabilities, and establish a correspondence between the practical activities of individuals and their social (and official) status, between the merits of people and their public recognition, between action and retribution, labor and remuneration, rights and responsibilities, crime and punishment, etc. Inconsistency in these relationships is perceived as injustice. Authorities with sufficient service experience know very well that it is not punishment that is perceived painfully by criminals, but injustice (including direct deception as one of its types).

Justice regulates all spheres of social life, but it receives its most visible embodiment in the legal system, since it is this system that regulates the most important links in social life 7 . Law plays a leading role in suppressing various types of violations of justice: criminal enrichment, protectionism, undeserved privilege, etc. The principle of justice provides for the provision of social guarantees: health care, the right to education, housing, pensions in old age and upon receipt of disability, etc. The correspondence between goals and the means necessary to achieve them is one of the most important manifestations of the principle of justice.

Sanctions provided for by legal acts serve as the implementation of the goals of law. Their use is always associated with infringement of the interests of the individual, with the individual undergoing certain deprivations, therefore, here the principle of justice must be maintained especially clearly. The most important requirements of the principle of fairness for sanctions are as follows:

Sanctions should only be applied to those who have actually broken the law;

Sanctions should ensure the restoration of violated rights after serving the sentence in full;

Certain proportions must be observed between sanctions that establish the degree of responsibility for various illegal acts: more dangerous offenses must be punished more severely;

Courts should be able to impose individual sentences based on specific circumstances;

No one should be punished twice for the same offense.

All of the above principles for law enforcement officers are their professional requirement, their legal norm. In practice, these principles are concretized, acquiring in each team, in relation to the characteristics of the service of certain units, a specific character that has imperative significance for members of the service team.

Each person is capable of different actions. There are rules that are established by the internal beliefs of people or an entire team. These norms dictate the behavior of an individual and the unwritten laws of coexistence. These moral frameworks, located within a person or an entire society, are moral principles.

Morality concept

The study of morality is carried out by a science called “ethics”, which belongs to the philosophical direction. The discipline of morality studies such manifestations as conscience, compassion, friendship, and the meaning of life.

The manifestation of morality is inextricably linked with two opposites - good and evil. All moral norms are aimed at supporting the first and rejecting the second. Goodness is usually perceived as the most important personal or social value. Thanks to him, man creates. And evil is the destruction of a person’s inner world and the disruption of interpersonal connections.

Morality is a system of rules, standards, beliefs, which is reflected in people's lives.

Man and society evaluate all events occurring in life through the prism of morality. Political figures, the economic situation, religious holidays, scientific achievements, and spiritual practices pass through it.

Moral principles are internal laws that determine our actions and allow or do not allow us to cross the forbidden line.

High moral principles

There are no norms and principles that are not subject to change. Over time, what seemed unacceptable can easily become the norm. Society, morals, worldviews change, and with them the attitude towards certain actions changes. However, in society there are always high moral principles that time cannot influence. Such norms become the standard of morality to which one should strive.

High moral principles are conventionally divided into three groups:

  1. Internal beliefs completely coincide with the norms of behavior of the surrounding society.
  2. The right actions are not questioned, but their implementation is not always possible (for example, rushing after a thief who stole a girl’s bag).
  3. Implementation of these principles may result in criminal liability when they contravene the law.

How moral principles are formed

Moral principles are formed under the influence of religious teachings. Hobbies for spiritual practices are of no small importance. A person can independently formulate moral principles and norms for himself. Parents and teachers play an important role here. They endow a person with the first knowledge of the perception of the world.

For example, Christianity carries a number of restrictions that a believer will not cross.

Religion has always been closely connected with morality. Failure to follow the rules was interpreted as a sin. All existing religions interpret the system of moral and ethical principles in their own way, but they also have common norms (commandments): do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not do to others what you do not want to receive yourself.

The difference between morality and customs and legal norms

Customs, legal norms and moral norms, despite their seemingly similarities, have a number of differences. The table provides several examples.

Moral standards Customs Rules of law
a person chooses meaningfully and freelyare carried out precisely, without reservations, unquestioningly
standard of behavior for all peoplemay differ among different nationalities, groups, communities
they are based on a sense of dutyperformed out of habit, for the approval of others
basis - personal beliefs and public opinion approved by the state
can be performed at will, are not mandatory mandatory
not recorded anywhere, passed down from generation to generation are recorded in laws, acts, memorandums, constitutions
failure to comply is not punished, but causes a feeling of shame and pangs of conscience failure to comply may result in administrative or criminal liability

Sometimes legal norms are absolutely identical and repeat moral ones. A great example is the “thou shalt not steal” principle. A person does not steal because it is bad - the motive is based on moral principles. And if a person does not steal because he is afraid of punishment, this is an immoral reason.

People often have to choose between moral principles and law. For example, stealing some medicine to save someone's life.

Permissiveness

Moral principles and permissiveness are radically opposite things. In ancient times, morality was not simply different from what exists today.

It would be more correct to say that it did not exist at all. Its complete absence sooner or later leads society to death. Only thanks to the gradually developing moral values ​​was human society able to pass through the immoral ancient era.

Permissiveness develops into chaos, which destroys civilization. The rules of morality must always be in a person. This allows us not to turn into wild animals, but to remain intelligent creatures.

In the modern world, a vulgarly simplified perception of the world has become widespread. People are thrown to extremes. The result of such changes is the spread of radically opposite sentiments among people and in society.

For example, wealth - poverty, anarchy - dictatorship, overeating - hunger strike, etc.

Functions of morality

Moral and ethical principles are present in all spheres of human life. They perform several important functions.

The most important one is educational. Each new generation of people, adopting the experience of generations, receives morality as an inheritance. Penetrating into all educational processes, it cultivates in people the concept of a moral ideal. Morality teaches a person to be an individual, to perform actions that will not harm other people and will not be done against their will.

The next function is evaluation. Morality evaluates all processes and phenomena from the position of uniting all people. Therefore, everything that happens is viewed as positive or negative, good or evil.

The regulatory function of morality is that it dictates to people how they should behave in society. It becomes a way of regulating the behavior of each individual person. The extent to which a person is able to act within the framework of moral requirements depends on how deeply they have penetrated into his consciousness, whether they have become an integral part of his inner world.

CATEGORIES OF AESTHETICS- fundamental, most general concepts of aesthetics, which reflect the essential definitions of cognizable objects and are the key stages of knowledge. Aesthetic theory, like any scientific theory, has a certain system of categories. This system may not be ordered, but the set of categories used by this or that theory appears in a certain relationship, which gives it systematicity. As a rule, at the center of the system of aesthetic categories is the main universal category, around which all the others are concentrated. Thus, in the aesthetic theories of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine the Blessed, Thomas Aquinas, Hegel, Chernyshevsky, the category of beauty is in the center, in Kant - aesthetic judgment, in the aesthetic theories of the Renaissance - the aesthetic ideal.

In the history of aesthetics, the essence of the categories of aesthetics was interpreted from idealistic and materialistic positions. For Plato and medieval aestheticians, beauty is the bearer of an ideal, spiritual and mystical essence, for Hegel it is an idea in sensual form, and for Aristotle and Chernyshevsky, beauty is a category reflecting the properties of the objective material world. By the middle of the 18th century. The category of the aesthetic becomes central (see Aesthetic). It can be defined as a kind of perfection in material reality (nature, man) and social-spiritual life. The category of aesthetic reflects the most general properties of all aesthetic objects and phenomena, which, in turn, are specifically reflected in other categories of aesthetics. In the aesthetic, as a real phenomenon, in the process of spiritual and practical human activity, both objective-material states of the world and properties subject of social life.

There is a certain subordination between the categories. So, for example, the beautiful and the sublime are categories that reflect the aesthetic properties of nature and man, while the tragic and comic are categories that reflect the objective processes of social life only. Thus, the most general categories (beautiful, sublime) subordinate the less general ones (tragic, comic). At the same time, there is also interaction and coordination between these categories: the sublimely beautiful, the sublimely tragic, the tragicomic. The beautiful is embodied in the aesthetic ideal and art, and through it affects aesthetic taste and feeling. That is, the categories of aesthetics are dialectically interconnected and interpenetrate each other.

But each category has a certain content stability. And although every concept coarsens reality, not containing all its richness, it, however, reflects the most essential features of an aesthetic phenomenon. It should be noted that the categories of aesthetics reveal not only harmonious, i.e. positive, aesthetic properties, but also negative, disharmonious ones, reflected in the categories of the ugly and base, thereby showing the contradictions of reality.

At the same time, in the categories of aesthetics (along with reflecting the essence of aesthetic phenomena) there is a moment of evaluation, that is, a person’s attitude to the aesthetic is expressed, its value in the spiritual and practical life of society and the individual is determined.

Marxist-Leninist aesthetic theory was also based on broader categories of dialectical and historical materialism (matter and consciousness, materialism and idealism, content and form, class and party affiliation, international and national), as well as categories of specific sciences: information theory, semantics, semiotics, psychology and a number of other private and natural scientific theories. However, the specificity of the subject of aesthetics can only be discovered through the system of the category of aesthetics itself, which takes shape in aesthetic theory.

Moral principles.

Moral principles- these are the basic moral laws that are recognized by all ethical teachings. They represent a value system that reinforces a person’s moral responsibilities through moral experience. They are also called virtues. Moral principles are formed in the process of education and together lead to the awareness and acceptance of such qualities as humanity, justice, and rationality.

The ways and means of implementing each moral principle are very diverse and depend on the individual characteristics of the person himself, the moral traditions that have developed in society and the specific life situation. The most comprehensive and widespread are 5 principles: humanity, respect, rationality, courage and honor.

Humanity is a system of positive qualities that represent a conscious, kind and selfless attitude towards people around us, all living beings and nature in general. A person is a spiritual and intellectual being, and in any, even the most difficult situations, he must remain a person, in accordance with the high moral stage of his development.

Humanity consists of everyday altruism, of such qualities as mutual assistance, revenue, service, concession, favor. Humanity is an act of will of a person based on a deep understanding and acceptance of his inherent qualities.

Reverence is a respectful and reverent attitude towards the world around us, as a miracle, a priceless gift. This principle prescribes to treat people, things and natural phenomena of this world with gratitude. Deference is associated with qualities such as politeness, courtesy, and benevolence.

Rationality is action based on moral experience. It includes concepts such as wisdom and logic. Thus, rationality, on the one hand, is the actions of the mind given to a person from birth, and on the other, actions that are consistent with experience and a system of moral values.

Courage and honor are categories that mean a person’s ability to overcome difficult life circumstances and states of fear without losing self-esteem and respect from those around him. They are closely interrelated and are based on qualities such as duty, responsibility and resilience.

Moral principles must be constantly implemented in human behavior to consolidate moral experience.

Code of Conduct.

“A person’s behavior, which (1) does not fall outside the generally accepted system of behavior in a given group and (2) does not cause an emotional reaction (negative / positive) in other members of the team, is the norm of behavior in a given society. ...

The norm of behavior has a multi-stage nature (hierarchical) and in this regard the question arises about the individual’s self-assessment of his dominance: he must determine on the basis of what aspect or fact of his personality (or, more broadly, biography) he regulates his behavior in a given situation. ... The degree of obligatory norm and, accordingly, the system of prohibitions in his behavior will depend on what he considers decisive in a given situation. ... Often the subjective choice of rules of behavior determines the subjective nature of the norm.

A norm creates the possibility of its violation (because if behavior were not standardized, there would be nothing to violate). The concept of a norm organically includes the very possibility of deviation from it. Deviation from the norm, however, is associated with the principle “you can, but you shouldn’t.” ...

The norm of behavior is supported by a system of PROHIBITIONS imposed both on the entire team and on its individual members by traditions, considerations of “common sense” and special contracts, agreements, codes, rules, etc. Most of them are set on a negative principle, i.e. they give a list of prohibitions; this is explained by the fact that the norm of behavior as a whole is difficult and uneconomical to describe positively, i.e. in the form of regulations: this would require an extremely cumbersome list of rules."